By Troy Hennig
Marysville, CA (August 13, 2016)…Los Angeles driver Tyler Walker put on a show Saturday night at Marysville Raceway. Walker, driving the famed Lamar owned #3c, was up on the wheel and thrilled the fans with his exciting on track driving skills in winning the 25-lap winged 360 sprint car main event. While his win on the track was great his post-race infield donuts were just as spectacular. “I owe it all to this guy,” Walker said as he put his arm around Clyde Lamar. “He and his wife along with Lee have given me a great opportunity and I love what we are starting to build.” Walker was fresh off his win last Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway. Walker wanted Clyde to say a few words and when asked about his driver Lamar responded by saying, “He’s crazy good.” This sent a wave of laughter and applause throughout the grandstands.
The main event started with 17 competitors all hoping to end up in victory lane. The first few laps of the race it was evident that Walker was the guy to beat. Walker jumped into the lead but Cody Lamar moved into the second spot and began to challenge for the lead. Sooner than later, the top two encountered slower traffic. As this happened Walker jumped the cushion and Lamar drove by on the inside. The next few laps were breathtakingly great as the two swapped the lead and showcased their driving skills. Unfortunately for us fans, the battle came to an abrupt end when Lamar was struck by a lapped car that resulted in Lamar flipping violently in turn two. Lamar escaped the accident with only a slight limp as he walked away but the car was beyond repair.
Walker resumed as the leader. Now Justin Sanders was in the second spot. Sander’s, as like Lamar, was able to match Walker on lap times. Yet, the small advantage that Walker enjoyed was too much for Sanders to overcome. Sanders made one final charge late in the race as Walker struggled on the top of the track in turns one and two. However, on the final lap, Walker adjusted his driving line; dove to the bottom in turns one and two and was able to lead the final lap with ease.
Once Lamar flipped and was not able to continue, Jeremy Burt knew he just needed to get a good finish and he would leave with the championship point lead. Burt drove a solid race and finished third. Lamar was credited with a 13th place finish. Officially, Burt will hold a six point lead over Lamar going into the final two nights of championship racing.
Kenny Allen made a rare start at Marysville a successful one by finishing in the fourth spot. Hopefully we continue to see more of Allen between Chico and Marysville. Brad Bumgarner was the hard charger of the night. After a poor showing in qualifying and his heat race, the Chico native rebounded to finish fifth. Bumgarner had missed the last month of racing due to motor issues.
Wyatt Brown was up on the wheel all night. After using the high scary side to his liking during his heat race, Brown continued his bravery and won the 20-lap economy sprint main event. Unfortunately, of the 11 drivers who took the original green flag only three ended up finishing on the same lap. A lengthy race saw numerous accidents and stoppages. At one point there had been so many yellow flag laps completed the officials were worried about fuel levels for the remaining competitors. But in the end, Brown had what it took to get another win. He dedicated the win to Bryan Clauson in victory lane. Adam Ermolenko finished in second, some 12 seconds behind. Chad Thompson was the third driver to finish the race. Young Kevin Dozier won the first heat race while Jeff Macedo won heat two.
Jim Speck won the hobby stock main event. It was a 10 lap race. He beat Anthony Doubledee the only other competitor entered. Doubledee completed seven laps. Yet, Doubledee by his consistency will be the track champion.
It was nice to see Kelley Hicks win his first Pro 4 Sprint Car main event. Hicks bested Matt Beardslee. The two put on a good race. In fact, Beardslee charged at the end and had a run on Hicks, but had to apply the brakes and when he did, he lost a ton of speed. Nick Bonham completed all 10 laps to finish third. Jaylon Deas was fast all night. He had the speed to win but a mechanical issue sidelined him on lap four.
Seven cars lined up for the Super Stock feature. Two cars finished, but the two that did put on a good battle for the win. James Castleberry held off Phillip Shelby by less than two seconds at the finish line. Castleberry, with the win, now trails Shelby by just one championship point. Michael Helwig finished third despite having to stop on lap 16 when a big puff of smoke billowed out from the engine compartment. Castleberry also win the eight lap heat race to secure the clean sweep.
Full results can be found at http://www.mylaps.com/